Moving On is the Hardest Part
by Crashlol
Summary: It's back up! Thanks for your patience everyone! Post-finale: Ryuko and Satsuki explore their feelings for each other and learn to deal with the aftermath of their abuse by their mother. Trigger warning for rape and sexual abuse. Also contains foul language and spoilers. I do not own Kill la Kill or any of the characters.
1. Moving On

Hey, so you may have noticed that this fic disappeared for a few days. Here's what happened. I've been working closely with an actual survivor of childhood sexual abuse on this project and a mistake on my part led to her asking me to take it down. However, I've received permission to put it back up and continue writing. Thanks for your patience!

...

"Ryuko-chan!"

Ryuko Matoi looked up from her watch just barely before her best friend tackled her to the sidewalk. Ryuko was usually able intercept the excessive gestures of friendship but things had changed drastically. The Life Fibers in the world and in herself that gave her extraordinary strength and speed had begun to fade since she destroyed the Original Life Fiber and defeated Ragyo Kiryuin.

'Ragyo Kiryuin…', the knowledge that the remarkably villainous CEO of REVOCS clothing company was her birth mother all along did not really bother Ryuko in the heat of battle, but now that Ragyo was dead and the world was safe from the threat of Life Fibers there was nothing left to do was think. And the more she thought, the more she was disturbed by what she was put through; and now the very thought of her mother sent a shiver down her spine.

"Ryuko-chan!" The calling of her name brought her back to the present.

"M-Mako…"

"Ryuko, let's go! Satsuki-chan's waiting for us!" Mako grabbed her hand and started dragging her down the street.

'Satsuki Kiryuin…' Ryuko smiled warmly at the thought of the stern-faced girl. She came to Honnouji Academy carrying a single scissor blade on her back, convinced that Satsuki had killed her father and had the other half. It turned out that that could not be farther from the truth. Satsuki was not just innocent of murdering her father, she had been planning Ragyo's assassination for years… and she was also Ryuko's biological sister.

"…Eh, Ryuko-chan?" It suddenly occurred to Ryuko that Mako had been talking to her the entire time.

"Um, yeah…" Thankfully Mako did not notice that Ryuko had spaced out and carried on talking. Ryuko decided to stop thinking and just enjoy her date with her friends.

"What do you want to do today, Ryuko-chan?" Ryuko was about to reply when Mako froze in her tracks, cocked her head to the side, and pointed to a woman down the street. "Isn't that Satsuki-chan?" Ryuko opened her mouth to dispute this but stopped herself when the woman gracefully tucked a strand of short, black hair behind her ear. As they approached her it became certain that it was, indeed, Satsuki.

"Satsuki-chan!" Mako called to her as they closed in. Ryuko swallowed hard as the young woman turned her head in their direction. There was no doubt it was Satsuki but she looked very different from what Ryuko was used to, and it was not just the short haircut. She was wearing a white blouse and a long blue skirt; she even had a purse slung over her shoulder. This was drastically different from the long-haired, kamui-clad, sword wielding Satsuki that Ryuko was familiar with.

"Satsuki, your hair!" It seemed as though Mako was just as shocked, as she began poking and prodding at Satsuki's hair and clothes. Ryuko just looked her up and down, still in disbelief. She was taking in the girl from bottom to top until she looked up at her face and their eyes met. Ryuko quickly looked away and buried her hands deeper in her pockets, hoping that Satsuki had not noticed her staring, even though she most likely had.

"Yeah, I figured it was time for a change…" Satsuki ran her hand through her freshly cut hair and all Ryuko could think about was how badly she wanted that to be her own hand in her hair; then looked away again when she realized how creepy she was being. This was her sister, after all (something she had to keep reminding herself of); the fact that they were not raised together, or even knew they were related until recently, did not excuse… Excuse what?

"Let's go eat!" Ryuko and Satsuki fell in side by side behind Mako as they made their way down the street. Mako was monologuing loudly about the food vendors that lined a particular street of the city, which Ryuko assumed they were heading towards.

"How are you, Ryuko?" She looked over to see Satsuki glancing over at her with the faintest smile. Mako was talking more to herself than anyone else so she did not notice the conversation starting behind her.

"Um, I'm okay…" She could feel herself starting to blush, so she pulled her red scarf up a little higher. "How are you?" Satsuki's faint grin turned into a very visible, warm smile.

"I'm good…" This only made Ryuko blush more and she turned her face away, hoping that Satsuki would not notice, when she caught a glimpse of an unmistakable group of people duck behind the wall of a building a block to her right.

"Isn't that…"

"We're here!" Mako took off down the street of vendors. Ryuko looked over at Satsuki but her focus was down the street in front of them. Though Ryuko was sure she saw them, too, she shrugged it off and spent the afternoon with her friends eating, laughing, and taking pictures together (and trying to ignore the familiar figures ducking behind walls, bushes, and other obstacles). The sun was setting as the trio descended one of the city's many staircases.

"Uwa! I'm so full!" Mako exclaimed, patting her stomach with her free hand (the other hand carried a large bag full of food). "I don't think I'll ever eat again!" Ryuko laughed louder than she meant to. If she knew anything about Mako, it was that that statement could not be any farther from the truth. Ryuko was mid chuckle when she walked into a pole and fell backwards onto her behind. Though when she opened her eyes, rubbing her buttocks and gritting her teeth, she realized it was not a pole, but rather Ira Gamagoori's enormous, muscled leg.

"Hey! Watch it!" Ryuko barked, but it did not seem like he even noticed her bumping right into him. He was blushing and looking down at the flowers, wilting from being crushed in his giant hand; his hair was combed back and he was dressed in a fancy white suit. Ryuko looked down to see that he was accompanied by the other three members of the Elite Four.

"Well, what a surprise…" Satsuki greeted her long time friends as Ryuko picked herself up off the ground.

"What are you talking about? They've been following-" Ryuko gasped and froze mid sentence when Satsuki suddenly slipped her hand under Ryuko's jacket and placed it on the small of her back. She looked up at her sister with a redding face but Satsuki was looking forward and smiling as if she was doing nothing.

"M-M-M-Mankanshoku…" Gamagoori stammered, his face becoming increasingly red.

"Come on!" Nonon Jakuzure whispered harshly as she jabbed him in the shin with her elbow. Ryuko was not sure he even felt it.

"Gamagoori-san!" Mako rushed over to hug him but was blocked by his outstretched hand, gripping the flowers in a nervous stranglehold.

"M-Mankanshoku! These plants are for you!"

"Wow, I had no idea his game was so weak…" Uzu Sanageyama leaned to the side to whisper to Jakuzure with a sad grimace on his face; Houka Inumuta's face was buried in his hand. Mako, of course, was oblivious to the awkwardness of Gamagoori's display and his obvious nervousness (he never looked up from the ground).

"Gamagoori-san! Thank you!" Mako happily took the flowers from his firm grip and help them to her chest.

"Mankanshoku!" Gamagoori bowed as low as he could, his arms plastered straight to his sides. "Please have dinner with me!"

"Eh? But…" Mako looked back at Ryuko, furrowing her brow in uncertainty.

"Go ahead," Satsuki encouraged, sliding the hand she had on Ryuko's back farther onto her hip, "I'll take care of Ryuko." Ryuko swallowed hard, the unusual affection leaving her speechless. Mako did not seem to notice Ryuko's predicament because she smiled and turned back to Gamagoori.

"I'd love to! I'm starving!" She took one of his enormous fingers into her hand and Ryuko finally found her voice.

"Didn't you just say you were full?"

"Oh Ryuko," Mako waved her hand dismissively, "You should know that Mankanshokus are never full!" Ryuko felt silly that she had forgotten but she was very distracted by Satsuki's touch. "Bye, Ryuko-chan! Bye Satsuki-chan!" Mako waved goodbye as she walked down the street with Gamagoori, still being followed by the other Elites whispering dating advice to him. When they were out of sight Ryuko managed to come to her senses and pull herself out of Satsuki's embrace and glared at her sister with narrowed eyes.

"You're behind this aren't you?" Satuski grinned in the direction where her friends disappeared.

"I have no idea what you're talking about…" She turned around and made her way back up the stairs with Ryuko in tow. "Gamagoori has strong feelings for Mako-san. I'm happy he gained the courage to pursue her…" Satuski stopped at the top of the stairs and turned around to find Ryuko gritting her teeth and clenching her fists. To her surprise, Satsuki chuckled at her, "I haven't seen you look at me like that in a while." Ryuko blushed and relaxed before Satsuki continued, "But I guess this does work for us… We've never really gotten the chance to talk."

Ryuko looked down at her feet, climbing the stairs beneath her. She was right, they had been through so much together (finding out they are sisters, killing their mother, etc) and yet they hardly knew anything about each other.

"Yeah…" They walked in silence until they came to a tall apartment building in the upper level of the city. Satsuki led Ryuko into the elevator and pressed the topmost button. They exited the elevator to a fancy door directly in front of them. Satsuki slid a key into the lock and opened it.

"Where are we?…"

"I got this apartment in case anything happened to the Academy…" Ryuko grimaced sadly for her sister's sake as she recalled the tower, where Satsuki lived, at the Academy falling over after their final battle against Ragyo.

"Welcome back, Lady Satsuki." Satsuki's elderly butler greeted them with a tray of tea. Satsuki nodded in greeting.

"We'll take that in the living room, Soroi." The butler led them through the hallway and into a large room with walls painted the lightest shade of blue possible and was decorated with white furniture. He placed the tray on the coffee table between a love seat sofa and two armchairs. He took Ryuko's jacket and beckoned her to sit on the love seat before pouring two cups of tea and handing one to each of the girls.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Miss?"

"No thank you, Soroi," Satsuki smiled warmly at her butler, "Go home and try to convince your nephew to stop working for once." The butler smiled back and bowed.

"Thank you, Lady Satsuki. Miss Ryuko, your jacket will be hanging in the the closet by the front door." He bowed to Ryuko, too, before leaving, closing the living room door behind him. Ryuko looked back to Satsuki who had already finished her cup of tea and was pouring herself another. Ryuko felt like she should say something.

"So… You live here now?" Ryuko tried to take a sip of her tea but burned her lip on the scalding liquid. She wondered how Satsuki was able to down a whole cup in seconds.

"Only until Honnouji Academy is rebuilt…"

"You're rebuilding the school?" Ryuko looked at her with disbelief.

"I know things at the Academy were harsh-"

"That's an understatment." Ryuko recalled how her brief time at Honnouji Academy was primarily spent fighting various clubs and rescuing Mako from crazy club presidents and their strict rules and tendencies to take her hostage.

"I know things were harsh…" Satsuki started again, "But it was necessary… Remember, I was trying to build an army capable of standing up to Life Fibers. However, it did fill a niche for many students who would have been nothing otherwise. Yes, the previous system only filled this niche only for the strongest and most capable while leaving the weak to suffer but the new Honnouji Academy will be different. It will be an actual school, not a military academy."

"Are you ill or something?" Ryuko was so used to the Satsuki that referred to people as 'pigs in human clothing', she was having a hard believing that any part of her actually cared about education for the masses.

"I know what it's like to not have a childhood, Ryuko." Satsuki briefly glared at her sister over her teacup as she brought it to her lips. "Young people need a place where they can explore their interests. That's why we have schools." Satsuki got up and went to the window. The apartment had an impressive view of Honnouji Academy, now in ruins. "Young people need a place to get away from the adults at home. How can children become adults if they never get to be children?…" Ryuko shrugged and looked down into her cup of tea.

"I never really liked school…"

"That's because you didn't have someone like Ragyo waiting at home…" The image of the nightmarish woman standing in the doorway of her father's house sent a shiver down Ryuko's spine. Satsuki came back to the table and sat down on the couch next to Ryuko, finished her tea, then set the empty cup down on the tray. "I never really liked going home…"

"Yeah, I guess I can imagine…" They sat in silence for a minute as Ryuko held her cup to her lips so she wouldn't have to be the one to continue the conversation. She kept peering at Satsuki in the corner of her eye, waiting for her to say something but she just stared directly forward at the large painting of a white snowy mountain on the wall behind the arm chairs. Ryuko almost choked on her tea when she felt something on her thigh. She looked down with wide eyes, surprised to find Satsuki's hand sliding up her thigh. "O-Onee-chan!"

"Ryuko!" She looked up in time to be met with Satsuki's lips against hers. Ryuko was frozen in place, her eyes stuck wide open staring at Satsuki's tightly closed eyelids. It felt like hours had gone by before Satsuki pulled away just enough to whisper against Ryuko's lips, "I'm sorry, Ryuko… I don't want you to be my sister… I want…" She was interrupted by Ryuko pressing her lips back against hers. She wrapped her arms around Satsuki's waist and pulled her closer.

'What am I doing?…" The question repeated over and over in the back of Ryuko's mind as she pulled Satsuki tighter to her and deepened the kiss, letting herself slide onto her back. 'What am I doing? She's my…' Satsuki's hands had found their way under Ryuko's white t-shirt and were delicately caressing her waist, while Ryuko's hands had found the top button of Satsuki's blouse.

'What am I doing? What the hell am I doing?…" Ryuko had her blouse unbuttoned and sliding off her shoulders when Satsuki started kissing and licking her neck. Ryuko buried her hands in Satsuki's freshly short hair. She had been waiting all day to do so and she was not disappointed. It was so soft in the back and very satisfying to touch, like running her hands through flour.

'What am I…' Satsuki unzipped Ryuko jeans and Ryuko tightened her grip on her hair. 'What am I…' Satsuki slid her hand gracefully into Ryuko's underwear. 'What am I…'

"_How is it? The pleasure of being worn by Junketsu?_"

"Stop!" Ryuko bolted straight up and shoved Satsuki off of her. The memories that she had suppressed were flooding her consciousness all at once.

"_You and I are the only people in the world who can feel this pleasure._" Ryuko curled up in the furthest corner of the couch and held her head in her hands. She could still hear their voices and feel their lips on her skin, their hands on her body.

"_Enjoy it to the fullest._" Ryuko was shaking and her breath caught in her lungs. She could feel herself starting to slip.

"_You should be able to understand how I feel now_." Her vision was growing dark.

"_Hey Ryuko! Hurry up and show us! We want to see you looking your best._" She could faintly hear a panicked voice calling her name as she fell unconscious.

"Ryuko? Ryuko?" Ryuko slowly opened her eyes to find Satsuki hanging over her, her expression dominated by worry and sadness. She must not have been out for more than a few seconds because someone as logical Satsuki would not have sat there on the couch waiting for her to wake up if she were out for much longer than that. "Ryuko?" Satsuki slowly extended her arm to brush her face with her hand but Ryuko quickly pulled herself up and away.

"I- I'm okay! I'm so sorry! It's not you! Really! It's-"

"Ryuko!" Ryuko had never seen Satsuki look so panicked before. Ryuko swallowed at the thought of breaking her heart. "Ryuko, I need you to listen to me and I need you to answer truthfully…" Satsuki's blouse had finally fallen off her shoulders and was hanging on by her arms. Ryuko had never seen her look so vulnerable but at the same time she could see anger beginning to show in her eyes. Ryuko took a deep breath and prepared for the worst. "When you were captured… Ragyo… she…" Satsuki looked Ryuko up and down, she was fighting back tears and so was Ryuko. "She did, didn't she?…"

Ryuko could not hold back any longer. She hid her face in her hands and sobbed. She had no idea what to say or do or even if she was real. At that moment, she sincerely hoped she was not real, so that she would not have to deal with the fact that she was raped by her mother and half-sister. As depressed as she was, Ryuko's heart sank even further when she came to a sudden realization.

"Wait… How did you know that… that…" Satsuki looked away from Ryuko and let a single tear fall to her lap.

"I was ten when it started… After I came home from the boarding school… I was to conquer Japan for REVOCS and she wanted to make sure I would stay… loyal… I'm sure she'd already been doing so with Nui for years… So… every time I was summoned home she…" Ryuko did not think her heart could sink any farther.

"S-Satsuki…" Ryuko threw her arms around her and held her tight, resting her chin on her shoulder. "We'll move on. We'll get strong together. We'll move on…" Satsuki wrapped her arms around Ryuko and pressed her face to her ear.

"Ryuko… Moving on is the hardest part…"


	2. Part of the Monster

Hey, so you may have noticed that this fic disappeared for a few days. Here's what happened. I've been working closely with an actual survivor of childhood sexual abuse on this project and a mistake on my part led to her asking me to take it down. However, I've received permission to put it back up and continue writing. Thanks for your patience!

...

Ryuko slowly opened her eyes, squinting against the light slipping through the crack between the white curtains. The sun had, of course, managed to position itself exactly so that a ray slipped through the curtains to rest directly on Ryuko's face. She groaned and rolled away from the window, only to jump when she found Satsuki sitting up in bed next to her. She had momentarily forgotten she spent the night.

"Good morning." Satsuki was sitting, with her back against the white backboard of the four-poster bed, in her favorite robe with a cup of tea in one hand and holding a newspaper open with the other one. The events of the night before started to come back to Ryuko. She was exhausted after her panic attack and Satsuki recommended she stay. So she called Suyuko (Mataro had recently managed to swipe them a phone, though it was an old chorded one that had a tendency to randomly drop calls) to inform her where she was and to ask about Mako's date with Gamagoori. Ryuko figured it was good she was staying with Satsuki, she was a mess and she did not want to worry her adopted family. Ryuko buried her face in the pillow and groaned.

"Mmm, what time is it?…"

"A little after 6." Satsuki turned the page of her newspaper. Ryuko groaned even louder.

"6? Fuck, why are you awake?.."

"I'm always up at 6," Satsuki stated matter-of-factly before taking another sip of tea, "And watch your language."

"Who are you? My…" Ryuko was about to say 'mother'. Instead she propped herself up on one elbow and rubbed her eyes, "Why's it so bright out?"

"We're higher up elevation-wise, so we see the sun rise earlier than you would at the base of the hill where you live with the Mankanshokus."

"If being rich and powerful means you have to get up earlier, then I'll happily stay in the slums." Ryuko slumped back down on the pillow. Satsuki finished off her cup of tea before setting it down on the silver tray resting on her nightstand.

"What are you going to do, Ryuko?"

"I'm going to sleep for six more hours…"

"No, I mean with your life." Satsuki folded up her newspaper and placed it next to her empty cup, "Ragyo is gone and the world is back to normal, there are no Life Fibers left to fight… So have you thought about what you're going to do from now on?" Ryuko looked down at the white down-comforter and dark grey sheets covering her. She never really thought about her future. She had always been the kind of person who lived solely in the present, and now that she had fulfilled the purpose her father had intended for her, what was supposed to be her purpose from there? Satsuki could see the uncertainty in her eyes. "Well, apart from rebuilding Honnouji, I'm starting a new clothing business with Iori… Life Fiber-free," Satsuki added in response to a glare from Ryuko. "Iori has always been passionate about making clothes and there is a worldwide shortage of textiles since all of REVOCS's Life Fiber clothes dissolved, so we expect to do fairly well… What about you?"

"I don't know, maybe I'll marry rich." Ryuko joked, smiling up at Satsuki, "I'll marry you."

"Me?" Satsuki had poured herself another cup of tea and brought the cup to her lips to take a sip, "You hardly know me."

"Perfect, I'll divorce you for half when I find out you're an asshole." Satsuki almost choked on her tea. She downed the cup and let out a chuckle as she placed it back down on the tray.

"Oh really?" Satsuki pulled the sheets off of Ryuko, who was laughing hysterically. Ryuko tried to sit up to pull the sheets back but was stopped by Satsuki climbing on top of her, straddling her hips. The both of them were still giggling when Satsuki continued, "Then I'd better get you to sign a prenuptial…"

"Not a chance…" Ryuko replied as they were getting the last of their chuckles out. When they finally stopped laughing they realized the position they were in. Satsuki was hanging over Ryuko with a hand and knee on either side of her, their faces just inches away. They explored each other's eyes for a long minute before Satsuki leaned down and kissed Ryuko's welcoming lips. Ryuko wrapped her arms around Satsuki's neck and pulled her closer.

"Ryuko…" Satsuki whispered against Ryuko's lips before kissing her again. Ryuko grabbed onto Satsuki's waist and flipped her over. Satsuki looked up at Ryuko with wide eyes as she climbed on top of her, shocked by the change of positions. Satsuki waited to see what Ryuko's next move would be but she sat motionless, staring down at her chest. "R-Ryuko?" Satsuki looked down to find that her robe had fallen open, leaving her breasts exposed. She blushed and looked away, "Soroi's doing laundry today, so I gave him my pajamas to wash…"

"Satsuki, it's not like I haven't seen you like this before." Ryuko smirked and Satsuki was reminded of catching her as she fell from space, her face landing directly between her naked breasts. She blushed harder at the memory of Ryuko's face.

"I-I know that… It's just… different this time…" Satsuki gripped the sheet underneath her hand but relaxed it when Ryuko placed her own gently on top.

"I know what you mean… You must have some problems with that kind of intimacy, too, right?…" Ryuko smiled and went to close Satsuki's robe but was stopped when her hands were grabbed.

"Of course not! I'm over it!" Satsuki buried her hand in the hair on the back of Ryuko's head and pulled her face down between her breasts, warranting a muffled yelp. When Ryuko finally broke free, she was gasping for breath and glaring at her.

"You damn near killed me! Fuck, you really are an asshole." Satsuki shrugged, her eyebrows furrowed. There was no way she was going to let Ryuko know just how much her mother had affected her.

"I don't know, I heard death by breasts is a pretty good way to go."

"How the fuck do you know that? Did you use a fucking Ouija board to ask a ghost? Geez…" Ryuko tried to pick herself up off of Satsuki but was pulled back down by her hand.

"Ryuko, wait! I'm sorry…" Satsuki had that same panicked look on her face that she did the night before and she knew it, so she looked away from Ryuko's worried face. "I just… I really like you, Ryuko…" Ryuko exhaled slowly.

"I really like you, too…" Satsuki looked down at her chest and pulled her robe closed.

"I'm so sorry, Ryuko, I know I shouldn't push you like that…"

"You didn't push me into anything!" Ryuko jumped several feet in the air when she heard Soroi's voice come over the small intercom by the door.

"_Lady Satsuki, your breakfast is ready_." Both girls looked over at the intercom then back to each other. They got off the bed without a word and left for the dining room where Soroi was waiting for them, their plates already filled.

"Um, excuse me, Miss Ryuko, but would you like a robe?" Ryuko was confused until she looked down and realized that she was still in nothing but her t-shirt and underwear. She quickly grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt and tried to pull it down to cover her stripped panties.

"Yes she would, Soroi, thank you." The butler nodded and left the dining room. "Here, Ryuko." Satsuki pulled out a chair at the table for her. There were six chairs at the table, two on each side and one on each end. There was a plate placed in front of one of the ends and another placed at the chair to its left. Satsuki sat at the end chair, leaving the other for Ryuko who was about to sit when the butler reemerged with a robe very similar to Satsuki's and held it up for Ryuko to slip her arms through.

"Um, thanks…"

"Lady Satsuki, your clothes are dry and will be folded in your room when you're done eating.

"Thank you, Soroi." The butler bowed and left them alone to eat. They ate in uncomfortable silence for a while until Ryuko decided to break it.

"So… What are we going to do today?"

"We? Shouldn't you go home to the Mankanshokus? They must miss you." Ryuko looked down at her plate and pushed her food around.

"I… I don't want them to know… about…" Ryuko loved her adopted family dearly. They took her in when she came to Honnouji; they fed her and clothed her and cared for her, even though they were very poor, and they never asked for anything back. They even aided her in her struggle against the Life Fibers and did not question her odd relationship with her kamui, Senketsu. They truly treated her as though she were another member of the family whom had always been there. She knew they would do anything to help her, but this was not something she wanted to drop on them. She found herself missing Senketsu more than ever.

"Ryuko, they're your family, you can't-"

"You're my family, too!" Ryuko looked up into Satsuki's stern eyes. The only time they seemed to show emotion was when she had her hands on Ryuko. Satsuki looked back at her plate and was silent so Ryuko had to be the one to start up the conversation again. "You're not really over it, are you?" The usually graceful woman scratched her fork on the plate and froze for a second before continuing.

"I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Don't pull that!" Ryuko stood up and planted her hands on the table, making her plate bounce slightly. She always had a hard time managing her temper. "Normal people don't just suddenly start kissing and touching people, much less their own sisters!" Ryuko immediately regretted saying that but it was too late to turn back, "You're spontaneous and hypersexual… and… and…" Satsuki was just frozen, looking down at her plate with a blank expression.

"I know, Ryuko… I'm sorry… It's… what I was taught…" Ryuko slowly sat back down in her chair as Satsuki gently placed her utensils down and folder her hands in her lap. "I know it's wrong… I know there's no excuse… But… Oh god, Ryuko…" Satsuki buried her eyes in her hand, and although Ryuko could not see, she knew she was crying. "Ryuko… Ryuko, I'm so sorry…"

"S-Satsuki…"

"I'm really not that different from her, Ryuko… No matter how hard I try to set myself apart… When someone hurts you like that for that long… You become part of the monster…" Ryuko clenched her fists and stood back up.

"That's not true, Satsuki! You're nothing like her and you know it!" She kneeled in front of Satsuki and took her damp hands in hers. Satsuki looked away and closed her eyes, not wanting Ryuko to see her cry. "She did what she did in order to hurt, intimidate, and control. You know that, and you don't do that… You touch me because you love me…" Satsuki opened her eyes and looked down at Ryuko who smiled up at her. "I've been a monster… I know what it's like… You're not a monster…" Satsuki was fighting back new tears when she slid out of her chair to wrap her arms around Ryuko's neck and burry her face in her shoulder.

"Ryuko…"

"Promise me you'll talk to me? Promise me you won't keep it in and blame yourself? Because nothing is your fault and there's no way in hell I'm going to let you believe it is…" Satsuki did not say anything. She just held Ryuko tighter as she stroked her back.

"Do you need to borrow a clean shirt? Soroi washed your pants, but you were wearing your shirt so he couldn't really wash that." They had finished their breakfast and made their way back to Satsuki's room to get dressed.

"Nah, I don't need a-" Ryuko lifted her arm to smell her shirt and almost hurled. "Yes, I'd like to borrow a shirt, please…" Satsuki smiled and opened her closet.

"Take your pick." Ryuko looked through the closet but found it contained nothing but white blouses.

"Um, is this all?"

"Of course. I have a shirt for each day of the week."

"But… They're all the same." Satsuki peered into her closet.

"Is that a problem?" Ryuko sighed.

"Well, now I know what we're doing today." Ryuko picked up the phone on Satsuki's nightstand, dialed a number, and waited. "Mataro? Where's Suyuko?… Never mind, is Mako around?… Well, can you get her on the phone?… Like hell I'm going to pay you! You should be paying me for not kicking your ass, you little shit!… Yeah, you'd better… Mako? What are you doing today?… Good, 'cause we need to have another date."


	3. Changes

Hey, so you may have noticed that this fic disappeared for a few days. Here's what happened. I've been working closely with an actual survivor of childhood sexual abuse on this project and a mistake on my part led to her asking me to take it down. However, I've received permission to put it back up and continue writing. Thanks for your patience!

...

"Try it on, Satsuki-chan!" Mako dumped a pile of clothes into Satsuki's arms and pushed her into the dressing room.

"Really, I don't need new clothes-"

"Yes you do." Ryuko closed the stall door behind her and sat down in one of the chairs lined against the opposing wall and crossed her arms. She did not know much about clothes shopping so she decided to leave it to Mako.

"I still don't understand what's wrong with my wardrobe." Ryuko blushed and looked away as she saw Satsuki's skirt fall to floor under the door. Mako was standing just outside the stall with her hands clasped, eagerly waiting.

"I'll tell you what's wrong with it." Ryuko looked to the entrance of the dressing rooms. It was Nonon. "You look like a Japanese housewife. Yesterday you looked like you were there to take me to band practice. Where'd you park the mini van, _mom_? Sorry I'm late, by the way." Ryuko stood up, fists clenched and nostrils flared.

"Don't talk to Satsuki like that!" Nonon looked at Ryuko like she had just said the most offensive thing ever.

"Relax, Ryuko." Satsuki emerged from the stall wearing an orange flared sleeveless shirt and a short white skirt. "That's just Nonon's sense of humor." Ryuko crossed her arms and sat back down.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"She called me." Nonon pointed at Mako with her thumb. "And thank god she did, what the hell did they put you in? You went from housewife to middle school girl on summer vacation." Nonon pulled at Satsuki's tank top with a disapproving look. She shook her head, picked up the pile of clothes in the stall, and discarded it into Mako's arms. "These are awful. Get back out there and try again." Nonon pulled a baton out of her black "paper boy" cap and shooed Mako and Ryuko back towards the store. "Go on."

"Do you carry one of those wherever you go?" Ryuko tried to resist but was pulled away by Mako.

"Get." When they were finally gone, Nonon sighed and turned back to Satsuki. "Are you still wearing that? Get back in there and take it off." Satsuki gave Nonon her classic stoic smile and stepped back into the stall, shutting the door behind her. Nonon leaned against the side of the stall and cross her arms.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"How was last night?" Nonon was prepared for another one of Satsuki's typical business-like answers but got something drastically different.

"It was… interesting…"

"Interesting? How so?" Nonon looked about the room and even ducked low to look under the other stalls to make sure they were alone.

"It was just… interesting."

"Did you sleep with her?" Satsuki should have been ready for this. Nonon never danced around subjects; she was always blunt and direct.

"Well, not really…"

"What do you mean 'not really'?"

"It's complicated-"

"Then simplify it." Satsuki did not respond right away. She just stood in her underwear, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Ragyo got to her…" Nonon's arms fell to her side and her head slumped back against the wall. She knew all about what Ragyo had done to Satsuki. She was her oldest friend and the first one recruited into Satsuki's plan. She clearly remembered the day that Satsuki changed, when her vendetta against her mother became more serious than ever. She never knew why until she saw the video feed from the cameras that Inumota hacked into when Satsuki was being held prisoner by Ragyo.

"Please tell me you're joking…"

"I really wish I were…"

"So what are you two going to do?…" Satsuki let out a long sigh.

"I still haven't figured that out…"

"Satsuki…" Nonon was about to say something when Mako and Ryuko returned.

"Satsuki-chan, we're back!" Mako had another armful of clothes while Ryuko just had a jacket draped over her arm. Nonon came over to Ryuko and took one look at the jacket.

"Oh god, no. That's hideous, put it back." Ryuko furrowed her eyebrows.

"This is my jacket…" Nonon grimaced sympathetically at the old, dirty jacket before moving on to the pile of clothes in Mako's arms. "Hey, what's wrong with my jacket!" Nonon ignored her and proceeded to pull a short-torso black leather jacket from the pile and look it over.

"Well, this is better. This is much better. Satsuki, put your blouse back on and put this over it." Nonon hung the jacket on the top of the door and it promptly disappeared on the other side. "Did you grab any pants?" Mako quickly pulled apart her pile and found a pair of grey slacks.

"What about these, Jakuzure-san?" Nonon took the pants from Mako and looked them over.

"Yeah, I guess we can work with these. Heads up!" Nonon announced before slinging them over the door. "Did you grab a belt?" Mako tore apart her pile again but came up empty handed. Nonon scowled and looked about the room before settling on Ryuko's waist. "You!" Ryuko, who had not been paying attention, looked up at the small girl approaching her with confusion in her eyes.

"Huh?" She panicked when Nonon grabbed her belt. "Whoa, hey! What are you doing?!" Nonon wrestled Ryuko who was struggling to get her off her belt.

"Will you just give it me already?!"

"What's going on out there?" Satsuki commanded from behind the door.

"Your damn monkey's trying to get in my pants!"

"Idiot, I just want your belt!"

"Get your own damn belt!" Nonon finally managed to unbuckle the belt and she quickly pulled it out of its loops.

"Got it!" She dodged Ryuko's poor attempt at a tackle and tossed the belt over the door.

"That was my belt, asshole!" Ryuko snarled as she pulled herself up off the floor.

"Relax, I'm just borrowing it." Nonon crossed her arms and blew a brief raspberry.

"You could've asked!" Ryuko marched across the room and grabbed Nonon by the front of her shirt, gritting her teeth. Nonon seemed unfazed by this. "Little cunt, I kicked your ass once and I'll do it again!"

"You cheated last time!"

"Like hell I did!" Ryuko raised her fist at level with Nonon's face and Mako began to panic.

"What the hell is going on out here?!" Everybody froze at the familiar commanding tone and looked to the open door of the stall where Satsuki had stepped out and was now standing straight in her classic "tyrant" posture with her arms crossed over her chest. The clothes fit perfectly. Satsuki's jacket was open revealing how her blouse had only been buttoned up far enough to cover her breasts but left a lot of cleavage exposed. Her blouse was tucked into the grey slacks that hugged her hips just right, complimenting her shape.

Ryuko released Nonon who stumbled back a bit but managed to catch herself and stood herself up straight. Ryuko had to hand it to her, she was right about the jacket. Satsuki once again looked like a strong and powerful tower like she did before the final battle with Ragyo. Nonon turned her head towards Mako without taking her eyes off Satsuki.

"Knee-high boots. Black."

...

"Welcome home, Lady Satsuki." Satsuki's butler greeted the group of four in the front hallway as they maneuvered to get themselves and the large bags of clothes they all carried through the door. "Shall I get those bags for you?"

"We'll handle these, Soroi. Can you put on a pot of tea?"

"Already on the stove. I'll prepare more cups." The butler bowed and disappeared down the hall. The group made their way into the living room; upon entering, Mako immediately dropped the bag she was carrying and ran to the window overlooking the city.

"Oh wow! Ryuko! Ryuko! You can see our house from here!" Ryuko wondered how she could tell, the roofs of the slums all looked pretty much the same to her. Satsuki's butler came into the room with a silver tray with a tea pot, four cups, and a phone. He set the tray down on the glass coffee table and handed the phone to Satsuki.

"Lady Satsuki, you have a phone call."

"Don't worry, we'll take care of the bags." Nonon took Satsuki's bag from her and Ryuko picked up the bag that Mako had forgotten on the floor. "Show me to the bedroom, Matoi." Ryuko blushed and led the way to the end of the hall and opened the white door.

"Here it is." Ryuko looked down at the floor as she walked into the room, trying to manage her blush from the memories of that morning.

"Heh, nice room. I've never been in here before." Nonon set her bags in front of Satsuki's closet. "It's missing something, though…" Ryuko followed Nonon's lead and set her bags next to the ones in front of the closet.

"What-"

"It's missing your screams, transfer student. Get to it." Nonon patted Ryuko on the back harder than necessary before leaving the room. Ryuko was still trying to get oxygen back in her lungs when she looked up in the direction that Nonon disappeared.

"Wait, what?…"

...

Ryuko laid awake on her mat, staring at the ceiling, as the Mankanshokus snored around her. Memories, questions, and uncertainty danced around her head and would not allow her to sleep. She could not stop thinking about Satsuki. Ryuko had a family that loved her and friends that were always there for her. Yes, Satsuki had friends and supporters, but who was there for her at night after the butler went home? Who's snoring, snorting, turning, and groaning did she have in the night to remind her she is not alone? The thought of such silence disturbed Ryuko immensely.

It was times like this when Ryuko missed Senketsu the most. He knew her best, from the inside out, and would have known what to say and what she should do. Ryuko rolled onto her side, fighting against the tears that came with remembering her best friend. Actually, he was more than a friend, he was a part of her, and losing him was like losing an organ. She could survive without him, but she would never be the same. Now all there was was silence. No one to console her, no one left who understood her quite like he had.

'Is this what it's like to be you, Satsuki?…'

Even now, Ryuko whispered to him in the dark, with the vain hope that he would answer back and that losing him was all just a bad dream.

"Senketsu… Senketsu…"

She did not receive an answer.

...

"Croquettes are up!" Suyuko set down the mountain of food on the table and it was immediately torn into by the hungry family.

"Your croquettes are the best, mom!" Mataro announced between bites.

"Eat up, everybody!"

"Guts! Get off the table!" The mountain was quickly vanishing, even though Ryuko barely touched her croquettes. Suyuko noticed this.

"Is something wrong, Ryuko?" Ryuko looked up to find everyone looking at her, so she looked back down at her plate.

"Well… I…" Even without Senketsu's counsel, she had made her decision last night. She knew what needed to be done, she just hoped her adopted family would understand. "I'm going to stay with Satsuki… for a while…" Everyone had stopped mid bite, even Guts. "She… She needs me right now… I can't explain it… But she needs me…" When she looked up everyone had tears in their eyes and all at once they were hugging her and drowning her in their tears, even Guts had situated himself on top of her head and was licking her face. "I- I won't be gone long, really!"

"Ryuko-chan, you're so kind!"

"You're so good to your sister, Ryuko-chan!"

"Do you need some croquettes to take with you?"

"We're so proud of you, Ryuko-chan!" Ryuko smiled and hugged her family back.

"Geez, you guys… You're the ones who are too kind… Mataro get your hand off my boob."


	4. Starting Over

"Miss Ryuko? Is Lady Satsuki expecting you?" Satsuki's butler answered the door and welcomed Ryuko in.

"Well, I suppose she probably should be…" The butler just nodded.

"Lady Satsuki is in a meeting in her office right now. I'll let her know you're here." He bowed and took off down the hallway. Ryuko decided to follow him until he opened a door into a large office. Ryuko could see Satsuki inside with a tea cup in her hand, sitting in a large white office chair behind a glass desk. Shiro Iori, the former president of Honnouji Academy's sewing club stood to the left of the desk and was fishing through a large folder spread open on the desk. Ryuko could see that the folder was full of drawings of various outfits. Houka Inumuta sat in a chair to the right of the desk, typing furiously on his laptop. The room was illuminated by a large window behind the desk.

"It shouldn't be hard to refurbish REVOCS's old equipment into machines capable of making non-life fiber textiles." Inumuta stated simply, unzipping his jacket far enough to reveal his mouth. "It took some digging, but I found the original blueprints."

"Good work." Soroi walked quickly over to Satsuki, giving his nephew a brief squeeze on the shoulder, and whispered something in her ear. She looked up at Ryuko standing just outside the doorway and set her tea cup down on the desk. "Excuse me, gentlemen." Satsuki followed her butler out of the room, closing the door behind her, and the butler went to stand behind Ryuko. "Ryuko, what are you doing here?" Ryuko's grip on her suitcase tightened as she tried to control her blush.

"I'm going to be staying for a while." Satsuki looked down at her with surprise and confusion stretched across her face. "I'm sorry, I just can't leave you alone here in this place. I said we were going to do this together and I-" Ryuko was interrupted when Satsuki wrapped her arms around her neck and held her close. Ryuko just wrapped her arms around Satsuki's waist and rested her face against her chest. Satsuki whispered in Ryuko's ear, so quietly that not even the butler would have been able to hear.

"Are you sure about this?…" Ryuko held Satsuki closer and whispered back.

"Positive…" Satsuki took Ryuko's head between her hands and gently kissed her forehead. Ryuko was paralyzed as Satsuki looked over at the butler behind her.

"Soroi, take good care of her. I'm sorry, Ryuko, but my meeting is going to last a while. Make yourself at home, okay?" Ryuko just nodded as Satsuki turned around and disappeared back into the office. She was still frozen and only came to when the butler tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to jump.

"Shall I take your suit case, Miss Ryuko?"

"Oh um, no thanks, I've got it…"

"Would you like tea? Anything to eat?"

"Um, do you have coffee? Oh, and Suyuko gave me these." Ryuko opened up her suit case and pulled out a plastic box of croquettes. The butler just nodded at the peasant dish.

"I'll warm these up for dinner." The butler disappeared down the hall so Ryuko made her way to Satsuki's bedroom. The clothes they had bought yesterday were washed and folded in a basket in front of the closet. Ryuko set down her suit case next to the basket and picked up the shirt on the top of the pile. It was a grey long sleeve that they got to go with a white jacket they had already picked out. Ryuko held the shirt in her hands, being careful not to unfold it, and ran her thumbs over the soft fabric. The thought of Satsuki wearing it made her smile.

"Your coffee, Miss Ryuko." Ryuko jumped again since she did not hear the butler come in. He placed the tray down on the night stand. "Oh excuse me, I was going to put those away when you came to the door."

"Thanks. And don't worry about these, I'll take care of it." The butler bowed and was about to leave the room when Ryuko spoke up again.

"Wait, you've been working for Satsuki for a while, right?"

"Since she was a child." The butler smiled. "I was a simple house butler in the Kiryuin home until I was assigned to be Lady Satsuki's personal aide."

"So, you must have known about…" The butler's expression turned into a melancholy frown. "Um, never mind…"

"Lady Satsuki is a very strong woman…" The butler exhaled sadly. "But she is also a very sad woman… She has been through far more than anyone should…" He bowed and left, closing the door behind him. Ryuko looked back at the shirt in her hands, trying not to think about Ragyo or what she may have done to Satsuki. She picked up each individual article of folded clothing and put them in what seemed to be their proper location and shut the closet. She picked up her mug of coffee and walked over to the window, sipping quietly as she looked down on the city and wondered which roof was the Mankanshokus's.

…

Several hours had passed since Ryuko had arrived and Satsuki was desperately trying to focus on her work. This was a particularly important meeting and they could not leave until everything they needed to get done was done.

"Obviously, we don't have the resources or man power to produce as many clothes as REVOCS did so I recommend we focus on a single demographic until we have the capabilities to produce more. Since the teen to young adult demographic is the most profitable, I propose we start there. Lady Satsuki?" Iori had picked up the habit of referring to Satsuki with formality from his uncle.

"Inumuta?"

"The data I gathered is consistent with Iori's instincts. I, too, think we should start with with the young adult demographic and grow from there." Satsuki nodded.

"Sounds good. It won't be much different from what we were doing before. You have designs, of course, Iori?" Iori pulled a section of papers out of his folder and handed them to Satsuki who flipped through them very briefly before handing them over to Inumuta. "Run these by our test group and see what the approval ratings are." Inumuta tucked them into his briefcase when Soroi came in with a tray holding three plates of croquettes.

"Lady Satsuki, Miss Ryuko insists you have dinner. She brought these…" He placed the tray on the desk and handed a plate to each of them. Satsuki immediately knew they were Suyuko's croquettes. She fondly remembered eating them among her friends and new allies on Nudist Beach's ship, after Ryuko had agreed to fight alongside her. But it was also the day Ryuko had been raped by Ragyo and Nui. Satsuki's heart was confused, not sure whether to feel comfort or anger. She held her plate in her hands and turned her chair around to face the window so the men could not see how lost she was through her eyes.

…

Ryuko had just finished her share of the croquettes when she left the dining room and went back to the bedroom, hoping that Satsuki would enjoy Suyuko's specialty dish. She closed the door behind her and stretched her arms above her head as she walked to the window. The sun was starting to set over the city. She looked about the room for something to keep herself busy with until Satsuki was done with her meetin. She had already stared out the window, took a nap, read a magazine, and explored the apartment. She was about to settle on taking another nap when she noticed a door to the right of the bed and realized she had not opened that one in her exploration of the apartment. She opened the door and turned on all of the light switches on the wall next to her.

The lights revealed a large and extravagant bathroom with steel blue and white marble heated floors and counter tops. The bathroom took up one of the top corners of the building so the entire right side of the room and the side directly in front of her were all windows. There were two sinks to her left, a glass shower right against the window overlooking the city, and a large oval tub encased in the same marble tiles that covered the floor. As she advanced into the bathroom, she found that the ceiling above the tub was entirely glass, allowing her to look up at the orange and pink clouds lazily making their way across the sky. Ryuko stepped closer to the bathtub and ran her hand over one of the silver tap handles. It was looser than she anticipated because she was able to turn it with ease and hot water began to flow into the pure white porcelain tub.

"Well, why not." Ryuko shrugged and pulled her shirt off, "Who knows how much longer she's going to be…" After she had stripped naked, she cautiously lowered herself into the tub and adjusted the taps to get the perfect temperature. When the water was at the optimal level she turned off the taps and leaned back against the side of the tub and watched the sun lowering to touch the mountains in the distance. She let out a sigh and let herself relax in the warm water.

"Good to see you took my suggestion to 'make yourself at home' to heart." Ryuko turned around to find Satsuki standing in the doorway. "Didn't think you were the type who followed orders." Ryuko grinned and pointed at her.

"Hey, you called it a 'suggestion' first." Satsuki smiled.

"I suppose I did. Iori says thank you for taking me shopping, by the way… Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure…" Ryuko scooted over to make room causing Satsuki to lose her cool composure and blush.

"Oh, I meant can I come in the bathroom… But is it really okay if I join you?" Ryuko smiled and patted the side of the tub.

"Yeah, come in." Satsuki looked past Ryuko at sun starting to disappear behind the mountains and sighed nervously before pulling off her clothes. Ryuko blushed and looked away only looking up when Satsuki turned off one of the lights so that the room was lit only by a single light source above the sink and the brightness of the setting sun. Ryuko quickly looked away again and pulled her knees up to her chest when Satsuki stepped into the bath and sat next to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes as they stared out the window.

"So how long will you be staying?" Ryuko shrugged.

"As long as you'll let me, I guess."

"Fair enough. Why? Just so we're clear… What are you hoping to achieve?"

"I told you, I'm here for you-"

"Are you, though?" Ryuko looked up, ready for a fight but relaxed again when Satsuki draped an arm over her shoulders. "I didn't mean it like that. I know how close you were to Senketsu… I can't imagine how hard it must be for you to lose him…" Ryuko shrugged sadly.

"I guess that's why I'm here. I have friends and family, and yet I've never felt so alone… And I figured that's kinda how you must feel, in this big empty apartment… Yeah, I need you… But I think you need me, too…" Satsuki was silent for a minute, staring directly ahead at the sliver of sun still visible in the distance.

"Listen, Ryuko… I want to start over again… The other night… I'm really sorry for that… You didn't deserve that and I-"

"You didn't know about… You know…"

"Which doesn't make it okay. Even without that, you still have rights. Ryuko…" Satsuki took Ryuko's face in her hands and turned her to look directly into her eyes. "Listen to me. I don't care if it's me or whoever, don't you _ever_ give up your rights." Satsuki held Ryuko to her chest and stroked her hair. "At the end of the day that's all you have. Don't you dare let anyone take that from you again… Do you understand?" Ryuko leaned in closer to Satsuki's chest and nodded.

"You know that goes for you, too, right?" Satsuki looked away. "I know that wasn't necessarily true in the past, but it is now… She's gone and it's time for us to to reclaim ourselves." Satsuki looked back at the fading sun light and sighed.

"Reclaim myself…" Satsuki looked down at the young woman laying against her chest then looked up at the stars beginning to show up in the darkening sky. "If only it were that easy..."

"I never said it would be..." They sat in silence for a while. Before long, the only light left in the sky was a dark blue tint directly over the mountains where the sun disappeared and the few stars that were bright enough to shine over the small city. "So, about starting over-"

"Do you love me, Ryuko?" The question caught Ryuko completely off guard.

"What?…"

"Do you love me?…" Ryuko's thoughts were bouncing back and forth between the memory of Satsuki's lips on hers and the nightmare of Ragyo's hands on her body.

"I guess… I don't know…" Ryuko was scared that Satsuki would be sad at angry at her answer, but the older girl just kissed her gently on the brow before getting out of the tub, picking up one of the white folded towels laying nearby, and wrapping it around herself.

"Reclaim yourself first…"

54


	5. The Witch is Dead

"_You__'__ve grown into such a beautiful woman, Ryuko._" Ryuko writhed and struggled, trying to get away from Ragyo's hands, but she could not move. Her body was too heavy and seemed to be stuck to the floor.

"_No_…_ Please, no_…" Ragyo ignored her pleas and allowed her hands to wander farther down Ryuko's body. "_No, oh god, no__… __Why can__'__t I move? Why can__'__t I move?!__"_ Ryuko panicked as she fought as hard as she could to move her arms and legs but to no avail. She shut her eyes tight as fear completely took over. "_Stop! Please! Help! Oh god, help me__… __Satsuki__…"_

"_Ryuko__…"_ Ryuko threw her eyes open at the change of voice and suddenly not only could she move freely but Ragyo was no longer above her, instead she was hanging over Satsuki. "_R-Ryuko__…_"

"_S- Satsuki?__…_" Ryuko blushed profusely at Satsuki's burning red and sweating face, her chest inflating and deflating rapidly as she gasped for breath. She looked down and found that their naked bodies were tangled together.

"_Ryuko__…"_

Ryuko's eyes flew open, waking her from the dream. She sat up to catch her breath, letting the sheets fall off her chest. She was uncomfortably warm and her bare skin was sweating hard enough to leave the sheets damp. She was thankful that she and Satsuki were too tired and warm to put on pajamas after their bath. Upon realizing she was safe in Satsuki's bed she slumped back down on the mattress and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, pushing her long bangs out of the way. She closed her eyes again, relieved that her dream was over.

"Ryuko…" Ryuko's eyes darted back open and immediately landed on the woman next to her. Satsuki had also managed to push off the sheets covering her chest and had one arm draped over her stomach and the other resting above her head. Ryuko propped herself up on one arm to get a better look at the girl next to her.

"Satsuki? Are you awake? Satsuki?"

"Ryuko…" It seemed like Satsuki was dreaming. Her face was spasming and her legs were moving underneath the sheets. She breathed heavily and irregularly. "Ryuko…"

'She must be having a nightmare, too.' Ryuko laid back down and rolled onto her side as Satsuki let out a moan.

"Ryuko… Harder…" Ryuko froze, staring at Satsuki's writhing body with wide eyes. She was definitely not having a nightmare. "Please… Ryuko… Ryuko…" Ryuko sat back up and looked about the room, unsure of what to do.

"Satsuki. Satsuki, wake up, you're dreaming…" Satsuki was moaning and gasping softly; the hand on her stomach drifting down her body. Ryuko's face was bright red as she placed a hand on Satsuki's shoulder. "Satsuki…" At her touch, Satsuki shuddered and let out a long exhale before rolling onto her side. Ryuko laid awake a while longer but Satsuki did not make another sound. At least she knew the source of the second part of her dream.

…

A knock at the door woke Ryuko from her deep sleep. She rubbed her eyes and rolled away from the sunlight. Satsuki was not laying next to her and the clock on her night stand read nine o'clock. The butler came in with a small stack of clothes in his hands.

"Excuse me, Miss Ryuko, but your breakfast is ready. Also, Lady Satsuki has gone to her meetings but she left these for you." Ryuko sat up, holding the sheets up to her chest to cover her body, as the butler placed the clothes on the corner of the bed. It was a white t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. "There is a fitness center on the first floor and Lady Satsuki highly recommends you go after breakfast."

"A gym?" Ryuko realized she had not gotten a whole lot of physical activity outside of climbing the many stairways in the city since defeating Ragyo. Constantly fighting Life Fibers and Satsuki's endless queue of clubs had kept her shape, but now there was no one left to fight and Ryuko had to turn to normal methods of fitness.

"She also wanted you to have these." The butler reached out his hand, which held two different keys and a small plastic card on a keyring, and dropped them into her hand. "The one with the square handle will let you into the building, the circular one will let you into the apartment, and the card will get you into the fitness center. Your breakfast is waiting in the dining room when you're ready." He bowed and left as Ryuko looked over the keys in her hand. Things were moving very quickly. She had kissed Satsuki for the first time only a few days ago and now she had the keys to her apartment.

…

Ryuko walked into the fitness center after pressing her card to the reader by the door and looked about. It was a large room with various cadio machines in several long rows in the back end of the room and many different weightlifting machines in the front. Off to the side there were two racquetball rooms where, to Ryuko's surprise, three of Four Elites were standing in front of (the fourth, Gamagoori, was just off to the side lifting the largest weights the gym had in each hand). She was hoping they would not notice her but it was too late, Nonon was already waving her over. She sighed and walked over to them. She figured she should at least see what they wanted.

"What are you all doing here?"

"What are we doing here? What are you doing here?" Nonon was wearing a white t shirt and small, pink shorts along with a black baseball cap worn backwards with a large white skull on it. "We all live here."

"Wait, you all live in Satsuki's building?"

"Of course." Sanageyama stepped forward. "Satsuki got the penthouse as a backup place in case anything happened to the Academy. There's nowhere else safer than with the rest of us."

"Speaking of Satsuki, where is she?"

"Oh, she had meetings…" Sanageyama groaned and shoved his hands in the pockets of his green shorts.

"Not again. So did she send you to play racquetball with us in her place?" Ryuko was about to deny this but sighed when she came to a realization.

"I guess she did, didn't she?" Of course Satsuki knew that Ryuko would never agree to meet with the Elites so it was no wonder she did not mention why she wanted her to go to the fitness center.

"Well that's good, we wont have to play with an odd number of people." Inumuta zipped the neck of his blue track jacket back up over his mouth after he was done speaking without looking away from the laptop he was always typing on.

"Odd? But there's four of you."

"Gama isn't allowed in the racquetball courts." Nonon sighed in annoyance and Sanageyama crossed his arms.

"The first time he played with us he took out a wall. So he just lifts weights and refs." Gamagoori looked away in embarrassment.

"Well, shall we get started?" Sanageyama picked up his racket and slipped on his goggles.

"But-" Ryuko was interrupted when Nonon shoved a racket, ball, and pair of goggles into her arms.

"Satsuki's usually on my team, but I guess you'll have to do." Nonon and Inumuta threw on their goggles and entered the thick-glass court with Sanageyama. Ryuko sighed and followed them in.

"You have the ball, so it's your serve, Matoi." Ryuko bounced the ball on the ground a few times.

"Please tell me you've played racquetball before." Ryuko had only been there for a few minutes but was already getting tired of pink-haired Elite.

"Of course I have! Just be patient!" Ryuko dropped the ball on her racket, but it hit the edge and bounced straight up, hitting her on the way down, and bounced away.

"Pft, that was miserable." Ryuko had enough.

"Who shoved a rock up your ass?"

"At least I don't have a microchip in mine." Ryuko had swung at the ball and ended up smacking herself in the face.

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"You didn't know? Satsuki had you chipped after Nui knocked you unconscious in the alleyway."

"That's some sick bullshit!"

"It's true." Inumuta slid up with his laptop. "Lady Satsuki saw you as a powerful potential ally in her struggle against REVOCS and needed to keep track of you." He turned his computer around to show her a blinking dot in the middle of a map."

"Told you you're chipped."

"Do you wanna fucking go, midget?!"

"Maybe I do. I've been eagerly awaiting a rematch. I'd like to see how strong you are without your hooker suit." Ryuko grabbed Nonon by her shirt with both hands and shoved her against the wall.

"How dare you talk about Senketsu like that?! I'll fuck you up so bad your own mother won't be able to recognize you!" Nonon was about break Ryuko's wrists to free herself when the door to the racquet court slammed open.

"WAIT!" Gamagoori had only managed to slip his head and arm through the door. The ball, which was still bouncing around the room, landed right into his palm and a pop echoed against the walls as he closed his hand on it. "GYM RULES FORBID PHYSICAL FIGHTING OUTSIDE OF KENDO, KICKBOXING, OR OTHER INSTRUCTOR-RUN MARTIAL ARTS CLASSES! ANY AND ALL DISAGREEMENTS MUST BE SETTLED IN A CIVIL, ONE-ON-ONE GAME OF RACQUETBALL!" Ryuko dropped Nonon and growled. Nonon brushed off her shirt with her hands and sighed.

"Well, you heard the killjoy. How about it?"

"Fine." Ryuko snarled and crossed her arms. "But you better not cheat." Nonon smirked.

"With your serves, I won't have to."

"I was warming up!" The men left the room and shut the door to watch the carnage from the other side of the glass. Nonon served and the war began. For three hours, the two slammed the ball back and forth with vicious force until the rubber ball was reduced to dust and they collapsed side by side on the wooden floor, panting in exhaustion.

"What… was the final… score?" Ryuko asked between pants.

"I have no idea… Does it really matter?"

"No… I guess not…"

"I think you won…"

"No way… You won…"

"No… No, you definitely won…"

"No… You won…" Nonon let her head flop to the side to look at Ryuko.

"Call it a draw?…"

"Yeah… We'll call it a draw…" Nonon bumped a weak fist against Ryuko's hand. They did not notice Inumuta enter the room and slide up to them, still typing on his laptop.

"Actually, I developed a program that tracks the ball and players in order to accurately record points. The final score was-" Nonon threw up her hand to stop him.

"Zip it, nerd…" Inumuta furrowed his eyebrows, shut his computer, and left the room to stand back with Gamagoori and Sanagemaya. The two laid on the floor panting for a while longer, both reluctant to get up.

"Hey… Am I really microchipped?"

"Oh yeah… Without a doubt…" Nonon rolled her head back over and smiled at Ryuko. "I shoved the needle in your ass myself…"

"Wait, what?"

…

Ryuko and Nonon made their way to the elevator and pressed the 'up' button. The men had stayed behind so they could actually get their workouts in, as they spent the entire three hours watching the match. The doors opened up and they stepped inside; Ryuko pressed the button for the top floor and Nonon pressed the button for the one directly below.

"You live right underneath Satsuki?" Nonon nodded.

"Me and Gama. There are two apartments on each of the few floors under yours. Houka and Uzu live right below us, and Soroi and Shiro live on the floor under them. My bedroom's right underneath Satsuki's and the floor's surprisingly thin. That's how I know it's been disturbingly quiet up there, which means either there's nothing going on or Satsuki isn't doing it right." Ryuko blushed and choked on her own saliva. She coughed a few times before barking back.

"Wh- why do you keep coming back to that?!"

"Satsuki's my best friend, it's my job to get her laid."

"But… she…"

"I know about what Ragyo did to her." Nonon looked up at Ryuko's shocked face. "I found out through the security cameras that Houka hacked into when Satsuki was being held captive… I saw about five seconds before losing my lunch… I made Satsuki tell me everything after the witch was dead…"

"Then why do you keep pushing her to-"

"You really have no idea do you?" The elevator doors opened up on Nonon's floor and stepped out, leaving a foot between the doors to keep them open. "You'd think that someone who was abused like that would avoid intimacy… But Satsuki's different… When it started, she was old enough to know it was wrong, but young enough for it to warp her desires and ideas about sexuality… As a result, she's hypersexual, but at the same time emotionally detached…" Nonon looked down at the floor and blushed. "I may have done a little research… But my point is, she wants you. She wants you bad… But she's scared of being vulnerable again, and terrified of hurting you…" Nonon looked Ryuko up and down before taking her foot out of the door. "Good game, transfer student." The doors shut and Ryuko slumped against the wall of the elevator. She had a newfound respect and admiration for Satsuki's oldest and closest friend.

…

Ryuko almost walked past the living room but stopped in her tracks when she saw Satsuki sitting in one of the armchairs with a cup of tea in her hand. The older girl looked up and smiled.

"Ryuko, you're back. Did you have fun?" Ryuko briefly forgot her conversation with Nonon and walked up to Satsuki.

"You sent me to play _your_ game of racquetball? _They_ live here?… I'm _microchipped_?!" Satsuki sighed.

"Dammit, Nonon… It was the logical thing to do at the time. Nui was after you, and with REVOCS gaining ground, I couldn't take any risks."

"You helped them gain ground by taking out Kanto!"

"It was all part of the plan to get Ragyo into Honnouji where we would have home field advantage. Yes, it backfired… But it's all over now, so why does it matter?" Ryuko thought back to what Nonon had said.

"Don't pretend like the past doesn't matter. Yeah, she's dead, but it's her memory that's still hurting us…" Satsuki looked at Ryuko quizzically and they sat in awkward silence for a minute until Satsuki set down her teacup. "I'm sorry, I'm going to take a shower-" Ryuko turned around to leave the living room.

"Ryuko, wait…" She sighed and turned around. "I take it you talked with Nonon?" Ryuko looked off to the side and.

"She said that you're hypersexual and emotionally detached and… it actually… makes a lot of sense… She also said that you… That you want me…" Satsuki shut her eyes and sighed.

"You must have gained her trust somehow. Nonon doesn't share anything with just anyone…" Satsuki crossed her legs and sat back in her chair.

"Satsuki, I'm sorry that I'm… That I can't… That intimacy is… hard for me…"

"Ryuko, don't you ever apologize for what she did to you. Don't ever think that anything she did to you is your fault. I'll be damned if I let you blame yourself." Ryuko looked away and was silent for a minute.

"I'm going to get in the shower now…" Satsuki nodded and poured herself another cup of tea.

"A shower will be good for you." Ryuko walked to the entrance of the living room and stopped when she remembered something. She placed her hand on the doorframe and turned back to Satsuki.

"Um, quick question… Do you remember your dreams very well?" Satsuki looked up at Ryuko with a puzzled expression.

"Actually no, I've never been able to remember my dreams. I forget everything the moment I wake up… Why do you ask?" Ryuko blushed and turned back to the hallway.

"Oh, uh, no reason…"

95


	6. She Loves You

Hey everybody! It was brought to my attention that I accidentally uploaded chapter 1 in place of chapter 6 so I fixed it. Sorry for the mix up! Enjoy!

...

Nonon was just finishing her shower when she heard the doorbell ring. She had already finished washing and was just standing under the hot water, letting her sore muscles take in the satisfying heat. When the bell rang again she swore under her breath and turned off the water. She grabbed a towel and quickly dried herself off before wrapping it around her body and marching off towards to the front door. She peered through the peep hole to find a very stern-looking Satsuki waiting on the other side. She sighed and opened the door. She knew she was in trouble.

"Skipped out on racquetball again, eh?"

"Can I come in?" Nonon stepped to the side and beckoned her in. She led Satsuki to the bedroom before turning around to face her. "Why?" Nonon sighed again.

"Because you weren't going to tell her and she deserves to know you."

"That's still-"

"Satsuki, you started this. You came on to her. On what universe is it fair to do that then completely leave her in the dark? If you want to make this work, you have to tell who you really are and what you really feel."

"You know I can't do that-"

"You can and you will." Nonon walked over to her nightstand and dug through a pile of books and papers, throwing some of them on the bed. Satsuki noticed the title of one of the books, 'The Monster Under the Bed: the Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse'. Nonon found a small business card and put it in Satsuki's hand. "Ragyo's gone, the Life Fibers have been defeated. You have no excuse." Satsuki half sighed, half groaned.

"Nonon, I'm fine. I don't need a therapist."

"That's bullshit and you know it." Nonon tapped the card in Satsuki's hand. "Call her. Make an appointment. Be honest… Get Ryuko an appointment, as well, she could probably use some help, too…" Nonon shook her head and went her closet to pull out some clothes. "I swear to god, Satsuki, if you put this off any longer I'm going to kick your fucking ass…" Satsuki exhaled harshly and turned around to leave.

"Got it."

"Satsuki." She turned back around and crossed her arms. "She loves you, you know… She may not say it, and I think that's just her personality… but she really loves you. I can see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice… She's in love with you… But if you keep being dishonest and locking yourself away… you're going to lose her…" Satsuki looked down at the ground before walking away. Nonon sighed and let her towel drop to the floor so she could get dressed. She desperately hoped that she was doing some good for her best friend.

…

Ryuko stood in Satsuki's shower, running her hands through her hair. She could not stop thinking about her conversation with Nonon.

'_She wants you__… __She wants you bad__…_' Ryuko leaned against the glass side of the shower that overlooked the city.

"Satsuki…" Ryuko looked back up when there was a knock at the door. The door opened and she recognized Satsuki's voice.

"Can I come in? I need to do something."

"Yeah, of course…" Although the glass facing the bathroom was opaque, Ryuko could make out the shape of Satsuki standing in front of the mirror. She could see that she was moving her arms about but she could not tell what she was doing so she just shrugged it off and took her time finishing her shower. After a while she finally turned off the water and realized that Satsuki was still standing in front of the mirror; there were snipping noises coming from the other side of the glass and she knew exactly what those sounds were. She slid open the glass door to find Satsuki's hair had become even shorter, clumps of his all over the floor, counter, and her clothes. The hair that was left on her head was messy and tattered.

"Satsuki, what-" Satsuki slammed the scissors down on the counter. Ryuko noticed she was crying.

"It doesn't matter how short I cut it. It doesn't matter what I do. I look in the mirror and I don't see myself." Satsuki gritted her teeth, fighting back angry sobs. "I see her!" Ryuko's heart broke and she froze. It was true that Satsuki had inherited more of Ragyo's physical traits than either her or Nui, but she never really thought about it before. Ryuko immediately wrapped her arms around Satsuki from behind, completely forgetting about drying herself off. She held Satsuki close as she continued to cry and shake with her head bowed and both palms lying flat on the counter. After a while, Ryuko ran her hand through what was left of Satsuki's hair and sighed.

"Come here, I can fix it." Satsuki looked up at her in the mirror. Ryuko tried not to look because she knew the pain in her eyes would just break her heart again and she felt like she needed to be strong for her at that moment. She pulled out a stool that was tucked under the counter that was meant for sitting on while women did their make up. She sat Satsuki down, picked up the scissors, and ran her hand through her hair once more. It was a mess and the longest strand left was maybe four inches long, but she would have to work with it.

"I'm sorry," Satsuki whispered, looking down at her lap. Ryuko wrapped her arms around her neck, resting her cheek against Satsuki's ear.

"Don't apologize. I can fix this. I've been cutting my own hair for years… I hate to ask this, but do you want to take off your clothes? I need you to get your hair wet…" Satsuki had stopped crying and started to take off her shirt, skirt, and undergarments. Ryuko led her into the shower and turned on the water just long enough to soak Satsuki's tattered hair before sitting her back down. She fished through the drawer and picked out a small comb then got to work. "When I was at boarding school, they just had one of the teachers cut everyone's hair, but he sucked and he only knew two styles: one for boys and one for girls. I didn't like either of them, so I learned to cut my hair myself, even cut a few of the thug kids' hair. Believe me, this is nothing compared the endless awful Yakuza cuts I've had to do before…" She took her time combing and snipping the mess into submission.

"I had no idea you did it yourself…"

"I'm actually really glad I do. I went to a barber once… I had a hard time explaining my Life Fiber bang."

"Speaking of which, I'm surprised it hasn't faded yet…" Ryuko looked up at herself in the mirror; the wave of red was still as vibrant as ever.

"I actually really hope it won't fade. The world is better off without Life Fibers but I'd kinda like to keep this one…" Satsuki just nodded and watched Ryuko's progress in the mirror. When she was done with the back, sides, and top, she turned Satsuki around so she could work on the front but stopped when their eyes met. They stared into each other's bright blue eyes for a while until Ryuko slid a hand onto Satsuki's cheek and kissed her gently before continuing the haircut.

"What was that for?…" Satsuki looked up at her puzzled and Ryuko thought for a minute before answering.

"It's because I love you…" Satsuki blushed and looked down at her lap, letting her finish the haircut. Ryuko turned Satsuki around to look at herself in the mirror and fluffed her hair to shake out the loose bits of cut hair. "Well? What do you think?" Satsuki stared at herself for a while, turning her head from side to side.

"It's… really really short…" Ryuko set down the scissors and patted Satsuki on the shoulders.

"I did my best with what you left me to work with. Next time you want a haircut, ask me first." Ryuko led Satsuki back in the shower to get her cleaned up. She was going to wait outside the shower until Satsuki pointed at Ryuko's chest.

"Ryuko?" She looked down to find Satsuki's hair all over her front. She sighed and stepped into the shower with Satsuki. They stood very close to each other, washing themselves clean of the bits of hair that clung to their bodies. Once Ryuko had washed her front, she took a step back to admire her work. Satsuki was right, it was very short but she still felt like she gave her a good haircut. She found her eyes wandering from Satsuki's head to the rest of her body and noticed her having a particularly hard time reaching her back.

"Here, let me help…" Satsuki sighed contentedly as Ryuko ran her hands down her spine, wiping away the hair. Before long her hands were exploring the rest of Satsuki's back and shoulders and eventually found their way onto her waist. She let her hands slide down to her hips and up to her ribs, right below her breasts before Satsuki turned around. Ryuko dropped her hands in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, I-" Satsuki took Ryuko's hands in hers and kissed her.

"I love you, too, Ryuko…" They stared into each other's eyes for a brief moment before bringing their lips back together. Satsuki took Ryuko's hands and placed them back on her sides, and she happily resumed her work, running them over her soft skin. Satsuki held Ryuko's elbows in her hands, encouraging her to keep touching. After a while Satsuki slid her hands onto Ryuko's and guided them to her breasts. Ryuko gasped but relaxed when Satsuki pressed her lips to her ear. "It's okay, Ryuko… I love you, you can trust me… I trust you… I want you to touch me…"

"Satsuki…" A combination of blood rushing to her head and the heat of shower made Ryuko start to feel dizzy so she rested her forehead on Satsuki's shoulder and weighed her breasts in her hands. It seemed like Satsuki could tell she was uncomfortable because she turned off the shower and opened the door. They briefly dried themselves off before making their way out of the bathroom and into the bedroom where Satsuki pulled Ryuko onto the bed with her; Ryuko placed her hands on either side of the older girl, whose arms were lazily draped above her head. They looked into each other's eyes yet again, still panting from the heat of the shower. Ryuko froze, paralyzed by the deep blue eyes staring back at her. She expected to see a tinge of fear or doubt in them but only saw a bright glimmering passion that spoke a thousand words.

'_She wants you__…_'

"Ryuko… Ryuko, it's okay…" Satsuki reached up and tucked a strand of Ryuko's hair behind her ear before sliding her hand onto her cheek. She wore the same smile that graced her face after catching Ryuko following her fall from space. "I want you to touch me… I trust you…" Ryuko smiled back and kissed her, trying to describe her strong feelings for her through her lips.

'_She loves you_…'

Satsuki wrapped her arms around Ryuko's waist and pulled her down on top of her, the feeling of her warm skin on her own and the lightness of her body comforted her. This was Ryuko, who really truly loved her. Ryuko was not going use her or hurt her or tear her down. Ryuko was not going to humiliate her and turn her own body against her. This was not Ragyo, this was Ryuko. And for the first time in her life the hands on her body were full of love and were there by her permission.

"Ryuko…" Ryuko had moved her kisses down to Satsuki's neck. Satsuki tilted her head back to give her better access and ran her hands up Ryuko's back to bury them in her hair. "Ryuko, are you okay?… You've been very quiet…" Ryuko blushed bright red.

"I… I don't actually know what to do…" Satsuki blinked a few times and propped herself up on her elbows.

"Oh god, Ryuko, is this your first time?…" Ryuko's eyebrows furrowed and she swallowed hard. "_That_ doesn't count… This is your first time, isn't it?"

"Well… I guess so…" Satsuki took Ryuko's cheek in her hand and smiled.

"We don't have to do this now… We can wait for another time…" Ryuko buried her face in Satsuki's chest, fighting back tears.

"I love you…" Satsuki laid back down and stroked Ryuko's hair.

"It's okay, Ryuko… I can teach you what to do if you want, but not now… When you're ready…"

"Satsuki…" Nonon's words were repeating through Ryuko's head. "I want to… I want to touch you…" She looked up into her lover's eyes. "Please… Please show me…"

"Ryuko…" Satsuki was very skeptical about this but she really did want Ryuko's hands on her body, to wipe away any claim her mother ever had. "Okay… But we're going to start slow and if you want to stop at any point, let me know… Understand? You have to let me know…"

Ryuko nodded and Satsuki guided her hands back to her breasts. She left her hands on top of hers, encouraging her to grope and feel them. Ryuko seemed to be doing fine on her own so Satsuki let her own hands slide up her arms and onto her shoulders. She knew this was a bad idea. She knew Ryuko was doing this for her and not herself but she could not stop herself; she had been waiting for this kind of loving intimacy for so long. For the first time, she was in charge and now she was unwilling to relinquish this newfound control. Ryuko's thumbs brushed over her nipples and a shiver ran down Satsuki's spine. She began to wonder if she would really be able to stop herself.

"Ryuko, that's-" Satsuki gasped when Ryuko's thumbs found her nipples again. Ryuko had definitely found a rhythm. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Satsuki's ear.

"Is this good, Satsuki?…"

"Oh god, Ryuko…" The heat of her lover's skin against her own as Ryuko played with her breasts was starting to drive Satsuki crazy. Now she knew that if Ryuko took it much farther she would absolutely not be able to stop, and briefly considered stopping it right there and then, until Ryuko did just what she feared. She had sat up a little to get a better angle on her breasts and her knee that had already been between Satsuki's thighs slid up to touch her center. At that point, Satsuki knew it was all over when she found herself starting to rub against Ryuko's knee. Ryuko blushed and looked down to see what was happening.

"S-Satsuki! You're-"

"Please, Ryuko… Please don't stop…" Satsuki's eyes were full of desperation and Ryuko was playing Nonon's words over and over in her head.

'She wants you…' Ryuko swallowed and slid her hands down onto Satsuki's thighs. Satsuki leaned her head back, ready for what was about to happen.

"Ryuko…"

"_Lady Satsuki-_" Satsuki's eyes widened and she shoved Ryuko off her, who landed on the floor with a loud 'thud'. "_-your dinner is ready._" Satsuki exhaled in relief when she realized it was just Soroi speaking over the intercom.

"Ow, what the fuck?!" Ryuko picked herself up off the floor and rubbed her bruised shoulder. Satsuki cast her a sympathetic look and sat up.

"I'm sorry, I panicked…" Ryuko sighed in annoyance, trying to cool her temper.

"It's okay, I probably would have done the same thing…" Satsuki took Ryuko's hand and looked up at her sadly.

"Ryuko, I'm sorry if I pushed you into anything you weren't ready for. I just…" Ryuko leaned down and hugged her gently, stroking her short hair.

"Let's go eat…" Satsuki nodded and went to the closet to get their robes.

…

Nonon was sitting on her bed with a large pair of headphones hanging around her neck. They blasted an upbeat marching tune as she gingerly painted her toenails with a bright pink polish when she a loud bang on her ceiling. She quickly pulled off the headphones and looked up, listening carefully. She could hear a muffled '_Ow, what the fuck?!_' that she immediately recognized as Ryuko. She smiled to herself as she slid her headphones back on.

"You did good, Nonon, you did good…"


	7. Do It For Her

Sorry for the long wait! I've been having a hard time figuring out where I want to go with this story. Next chapter may be the last. Thanks for your patience!

...

...

Satsuki groaned and rolled onto her side as her radio alarm clock went off and a woman's voice began to introduce the news.

"_Good morning, everyone. It is six o'clock AM and you are listening to Honnouji Radio News. Clothing prices continue to skyrocket after the fall of the REVOCS corporation and the disappearance of all REVOCS brand products. Due to the company's hold on ninety-eight percent of the textile industry, the disappearance of the company's leaders and the sudden, simultaneous Life-Fiber malfunction of all their products has resulted in a worldwide shortage of textiles. Although several old and new companies are rushing to fuel the need, economists fear that we may not be able to avoid a global recession-"_

Satsuki finally found the off button and silenced the radio. She rolled over onto her other side and was met by Ryuko's bare back. She desperately wanted to run her hand down her smooth spine but she did not want to wake her, so instead she gently picked up a strand of her messy, shoulder-length hair and felt its silkiness as it slid through her fingers. She was glad Ryuko was able to sleep through her alarm; she figured she had earned some rest after saving the world over two weeks ago. Satsuki rolled out of bed as quietly as she could and stepped into the bathroom. Ryuko had swept up all of Satsuki's hair but her clothes were still lying on the floor.

Satsuki picked up her skirt and shook the hair off of it. She stopped shaking it when the card Nonon gave her the day before fell out of the pocket and onto the floor. She blinked a few times then picked it up, studying it over a few times before looking up at herself in the mirror. She ran her hand through her even shorter hair and remarked at how different she looked. Nonon was not going to be happy with her. Satsuki's thoughts were interrupted when she heard the phone ring in her bedroom and headed back out of the bathroom only to find that Ryuko had woken from her slumber, crawled across the bed on her stomach, and had sleepily answered the phone.

"Mmm, Kiryuin residence… Mako? What the hell, it's six AM… Couldn't sleep? Why-… Lunch? With you and Gamagoori-san?… Nonon, too, huh?… Hold on, I'll ask Satsuki…" Ryuko rolled onto her back and blinked a few times when she saw Satsuki.

"Oh hey, there you are. Think you can squeeze in a lunch date today?…"

…

"Ryuko-chan!" This time Ryuko welcomed her best friend's tackle-hug, hugging the smaller girl tight to her chest. "I've missed you, Ryuko-chan! The whole family misses you!"

"I miss you all, too." Ryuko smiled and released the small girl so she could hug her new boyfriend, whom had traveled to the park with Ryuko, Satsuki, and Nonon.

"Gamagoori-senpai!" Mako wrapped her arms around his massive wrist warranting a blush from his tan face.

"M-Mankanshoku-san…" Mako took one of his fingers into his hand and started to lead them all into the park. The weather was the best it had been all year and Mako proposed a picnic. She carried a basket (which Ryuko assumed was filled with croquettes) with a folded blanket on top. Ryuko, Satsuki, and Nonon followed behind.

"Hopefully she can get him to loosen up, he needs it," Nonon sneered and rolled her eyes at Gamagoori's formality. Ryuko slipped her hands into her pocket.

"Has he even had a girlfriend before?" Nonon looked up and rubbed her chin.

"I think I remember him saying he had one for about a week in Middle School but he was on the student council so he didn't really have time for her and she broke it off."

"That's just Gamagoori, though," Satsuki had been largely silent for the majority of the time so her sudden interjection surprised the two other girls, "He's always been the formal kind. But he's a good man. You won't have to worry about Mako." Satsuki smiled down at Ryuko and wrapped an arm around hers causing her to blush and look down at the ground.

"Blech! You two… Shoulda known I'd end up as the fifth wheel," Nonon wrapped one of her arms around Satsuki's free arm, "Hey, Matoi, you're gonna share your girlfriend with me, right?" Ryuko froze in her tracks and pulled her arm away.

"W-what?!"

"Nonon, don't tease her. You know she doesn't get your sense of humor." Nonon pulled away, too, and crossed her arms.

"Not my fault she's an idiot." Nonon winked and blew a raspberry.

"Do we have to do this every day, you little-" Ryuko took a step forward but was stopped by progressing any farther when Satsuki wrapped an arm around the front of her waist.

"Again, just her sense of humor," Satsuki briefly squeezed Ryuko's hip before letting her go, "Relax…"

"Come on, everybody!" Mako waved at the three from down the path, "We're almost there!" Ryuko sighed and let Satsuki take her hand as they continued forward. Eventually Mako let go of Gamagoori's finger and ran to a grassy spot under a tree next to a small stream. "Right here!" She took the blanket off her basket and shook it out before laying it flat. She was already piling croquettes on little plates when everyone caught up and took a seat on the blanket.

They chatted pleasantly as they ate, though it was mostly Mako and Nonon doing the chatting as Gamagoori was not a very talkative person anyway and Ryuko and Satsuki's minds were elsewhere; Ryuko could not look at Satsuki without blushing at the memory of the night before. As soon as Ryuko had cleaned her plate Mako rushed over to her and took her hand.

"Ryuko-chan, let's explore the stream! I want to catch a frog!" Ryuko stumbled a bit as she was pulled up from her seat but caught herself just in time to be dragged off towards the creek. Mako stopped briefly on the way to grab Gamagoori's finger. "Gama-senpai, let's hunt for frogs!"

"Frogs?" That was the only word that Gamagoori was able to get out before being pulled away. They stopped just before the bank to pull off their shoes and Ryuko looked back at Satsuki.

"Hey, are two you gonna come with?" Satsuki was about to get up but was pulled back down by Nonon.

"We'll be there a minute, Matoi." Ryuko was about to protest until she was pulled down the bank by Mako.

"Ryuko-chan, help me find a frog for Mataro!" Ryuko gave in and followed Mako down to the stream.

"I'm coming, I'm coming…" As soon as they were out of earshot, Nonon turned to Satsuki.

"So it sounded like you two had fun last night." Satsuki quickly shoved a croquette into her mouth so she would not have to answer right away, but Nonon saw right through her and smirked to herself. "Well, I know you were a little busy but did you at least call the therapist?" Satsuki took her time chewing then swallowing.

"Nonon, I appreciate your concern but I really don't-" Nonon let out a loud groan.

"Dammit, Satsuki, do you get it at all or are you just that stubborn and stupid?!" Satsuki stiffened and prepared herself for a fight but quickly found that Nonon was not going to let her get a word in until she was finished. "You think it's just you up there in that penthouse, all alone in your own little world and you've got your head stuck so far up your ass you can't see all the people who are hurting just from watching you. Us Four, Soroi, Shiro…" Nonon looked over at the stream where Ryuko was struggling to recapture a frog that had slipped out of her hands. "And now her… Satsuki, I'm being very very serious about this and if you won't do it for yourself or me… do it for her…" Satsuki sighed as she watched Ryuko proudly lift her frog up over her head, earning her a brief cheer from Mako before it slipped out of her hands again and landed on her head.

…

"It wasn't that funny!" Ryuko tried to defend herself against Satsuki's giggles as she rubbed the top of her head. They were back in Satsuki's bedroom and yet she was still wiping slime out of her hair. "Stupid frog…" Satsuki leaned against the closet after hanging up her long, cream cardigan as Ryuko began to pull off her muddy clothes.

"Hey, I hope Nonon's jokes didn't bother you too much. She has a very unapologetic sense of humor. She's actually really happy to see us together…" Ryuko leaned down to pull off her short skirt.

"So, I guess we're official now, huh?" Satsuki shrugged.

"I did give you the keys to my apartment… And you're currently undressing in my room."

"I guess that joke about lesbians bringing a moving truck on the second date isn't actually that far off." Satsuki allowed herself to crack a smile as a naked Ryuko wrapped her arms around her waist.

"Well, I think we're bit of a unique case…" Satsuki trailed off as Ryuko planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

"M-hmm…" Satsuki let her hands find their way onto Ryuko's bare back to feel the smooth skin she had wanted to touch that morning. She noticed how it was still somewhat damp and cold from the creek water as Ryuko moved her kisses onto Satsuki's neck causing her to release a long sigh.

"Ryuko…" Ryuko's hands had found their way up Satsuki's white tank top as she continued to plant kisses all over Ryuko's jaw and throat. "Ryuko, I have to work… I've been goofing off all day…" Ryuko groaned a little against her throat then gave her one more lingering kiss on her lips.

"Fine, fine, but don't work too much, you'll get boring," Ryuko joked as she rubbed the top of her head again, "I should take a shower anyway…" Satsuki nodded as Ryuko made her way to the bathroom, casting her one more smile before disappearing past the doorframe.

Satsuki could hear the shower start as she crossed her arms and leaned back against the closet. As much as she would have liked to spend the day with Ryuko, her business was not going to build itself. She straightened herself back up and prepared to leave the room when she noticed a small card on her nightstand. It was the card Nonon had gave her; she had put it on her nightstand after finding it in the bathroom that morning. She picked up the card and sat on the edge of the bed, looking it over.

'_Do it for her…_'

Satsuki looked behind her at the open bathroom door, listening to the sound of the shower and sighed nervously before picking up the phone on her nightstand.


	8. The Hardest Part

"Holy shit, Satsuki," Ryuko grunted as she slowly lifted the large suit case and dropped it into the trunk of the car, "We're only going to be gone for week!" Four years had passed since Ryuko and Satsuki started dating and they were finally taking a real vacation, as in one that was not tied to one of Satsuki's many business trips.

"Exactly, we're going to be gone for a week," Satsuki approached the car and put a much smaller bag in the trunk alongside the suit case, "So I brought a week's worth of essentials." Ryuko placed her own suitcase into the trunk and shut it.

"It better not be full of tea…" Ryuko muttered and scowled as Satsuki handed her the keys before going to their respective sides of the car, "Seriously, when are you going to get your license?"

"You know I don't like to drive. Besides, why would I when I have you?" Satsuki smirked and winked, which warranted an exaggerated eye roll from Ryuko as they got into the car and shut the doors. Ryuko started the engine and Satsuki sighed as she looked down at her phone. Ryuko placed her hand on Satsuki's thigh and smiled.

"Hey, relax… I'm pretty sure your business can run without you for a week." Ryuko squeezed Satsuki's thigh before putting her hand back on the wheel and stepping on the gas pedal. "Besides, the therapists said we needed to get away, just the two of us… Especially you. You haven't had a vacation in… Fuck, Satsuki, have you ever had a vacation?" Satsuki furrowed her brows at Ryuko.

"Of course I have. Remember Singapore?"

"That was business, stupid."

"I only had a few meetings-"

"Still business." Satsuki shrugged and looked forward.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Ryuko looked over at Satsuki sympathetically when they came to a stop light.

"Hey, it's going to be alright, I promise…" The light turned green and Ryuko looked to either side of the intersection before proceeding down the street. "We're not going to be all that far from Honnouji, you know." Satsuki let out a long, drawn-out sigh. Ryuko was right, they were just renting a traditional Japanese manor on a beach in Okinawa for the week. Satsuki had been much farther from Honnouji on business trips. But she knew it was not the break from her business that was making her nervous. "It'll be fun, I promise." Ryuko smiled briefly at Satsuki before turning onto the onramp for the freeway. Satsuki looked around confused.

"Ryuko, the airport is southbound."

"I know, I… I need to make a quick stop…" Satsuki was about to protest until she realized that there was only one place north of the city that Ryuko ever visited. They were silent for the rest of the ride until Ryuko pulled onto a long gravel driveway that led to the burned ruins of her childhood home. She turned off the engine and they both stepped out, shutting the car doors behind them. Ryuko immediately shoved her hands in her pockets and sighed before proceeding slowly into the rubble with Satsuki in tow.

Nature had taken over the ruins; small bushes grew anywhere there was ash-mixed dirt and leafy vines clung to the walls that still stood. Ryuko and Satsuki carefully maneuvered their way around the debris and bushes until they came to a small ancestral shrine that sat against the wall of the far side of the house. It was heavily weathered from years of exposure and vines had begun to wrap themselves around it. Ryuko stopped in front of it and pulled two sticks of incense out of her pocket, handing one to Satsuki.

"One for dad…" Satsuki looked over the thin red stick in her hand. The only memory she had left of her father was him introducing her to Junketsu, claiming that it was to be her 'wedding dress' before he disappeared from her life. She had assumed her mother had killed him until she later learned that he had actually escaped in order to save Ryuko and develop a weapon capable of defeating the Life Fibers. "And one for Senketsu…"

Ryuko placed her stick in the burner sitting on top of the shrine and Satsuki followed her lead. Ryuko pulled a small book of matches from her pocket and lit the two sticks, then took a step back to watch them burn. They gave off a strong smokey, cinnamon scent, which only grew stronger as the wind blew on them, causing them to burn faster. Satsuki stepped up to Ryuko and wrapped her arms around her shoulders from behind. Ryuko pulled her hands out of her pockets and rested them on Satsuki's forearms, lifting one of them to her lips to leave a brief kiss on her wrist.

. . .

"I seriously hate flying in your jet, Satsuki," Ryuko complained as she stormed into the bedroom and immediately dropped the luggage. Satsuki followed behind and gently set down her bags.

"What's wrong with my jet?"

"It's just so… pretentious!" Ryuko groaned as she flopped down on the bed. Satsuki crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"It's not pretentious, it's practical. You know how much I travel. I can't depend on commercial airlines and their shifty schedules, it makes perfect sense to have a private jet." Ryuko struggled to think of a good comeback but eventually gave up and instead opted to blow a brief raspberry. Satsuki rolled her eyes again and sat down next to Ryuko on the bed, placing a hand on her bare knee. "God, you're annoying," she said with a gentle smile and Ryuko smiled back.

"Yeah, but that's why you love me. You'd get bored with someone who didn't challenge your patience. Besides…" Ryuko's smile grew increasingly mischievous as she folded her arms behind her head, "I know you can't get enough of me." After four years, Satsuki knew Ryuko's cues well. She hoisted herself onto the bed and straddled her hips before leaning down to share a passionate kiss. Ryuko pulled her hands out from behind her head and buried them in Satsuki's short hair (Satsuki had decided to keep the haircut Ryuko gave her four years ago despite Ryuko's pleads to do something more creative with it), pulling her deeper into the kiss.

"We should.. go for a… walk on the beach… before the sun sets," Satsuki attempted to suggest between kisses earning a sensual groan from Ryuko.

"We could… Or we could, you know…" Ryuko slid her fingers under the strap of Satsuki's white summer dress and pulled it down off her shoulder. Satsuki knew this cue, too, and smiled as she sat up and started to pull off her dress with Ryuko's help.

"Hey," she began as she finally freed herself from the dress, "We've actually come really far, you know."

"What do you mean?" Ryuko reached around and unhooked Satsuki's bra as she patiently unbuttoned Ryuko's white, short-sleeved button-up.

"Well, you know…" Satsuki paused and looked Ryuko up and down after gently pulling her shirt open. She ran her hand down the smooth skin on her stomach, earning an excited shiver from Ryuko. "There was a time when this was impossible…" Ryuko sat up and let her shirt fall off her shoulders before reaching behind her and unhooking her own bra, tossing both off to the side.

"That's the power of patience, guidance, and love…" Ryuko snaked a hand behind Satsuki's head and pulled her down gently as she leaned back onto her elbow. Satsuki happily accepted the invitation and began to trail kisses down Ryuko's neck and chest. "Mmm, especially love…" Ryuko tightened her grip on Satsuki's hair as her kisses found their way down her stomach.

. . .

Ryuko was woken up by the harsh, metallic sound of the shower curtain sliding open in the bathroom. She groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes; she wanted to go back to sleep but her back was stiff and sore due to a combination of the unfamiliar bed and the activities of the night before. She pushed off the sheets and sleepily made her way to bathroom. She leaned against the door, scratching the back of her head as Satsuki stepped out of the shower with her towel draped over her shoulders.

"Wow, you're awake," Satsuki blinked in bewilderment before wrapping her towel around herself.

"Yeah, I just couldn't sleep anymore…" Ryuko rubbed her eyes and shared a brief kiss with Satsuki who chuckled slightly.

"You need a shower, love," Ryuko ran her hand through her messy hair as Satsuki ran her toothbrush under the faucet and squeezed a dab of toothpaste on the bristles.

"Yeah, I do…" She turned around and reentered the bedroom, looking around at the bags on the floor, "Hey, do you remember which bag I put my shampoo in?" Satsuki spit out her mouthful of minty froth before answering.

"I think you put it in mine. It didn't fit in yours, remember?" Ryuko kneeled in front of Satsuki's large suitcase and flipped open the lid, staring at the contents for a few seconds before starting to dig through it.

"Did I?" She became increasingly frustrated the longer she spent rooting through the clothes, "Dammit, I hope I didn't leave it behind-" Ryuko stopped when her hand grasped around a small box with a soft, velvety surface. She pulled it out and immediately recognized it as a box you would get from a jewelry store. Curious, she opened it and was nearly blinded by the glare from the platinum-banded ring inside. She titled it away from the morning light coming in through the window and took a closer look. The ring bore one large, circular diamond accompanied by two smaller rubies on each side with several tiny alternating rubies and diamonds set in the platinum band on either side of the three larger gemstones.

"Holy shit," Ryuko whispered to herself as she continued to look the ring over, only looking away when she heard Satsuki enter the room behind her, wearing her signature white bathrobe, "Hey Sats, what's this?" Ryuko became even more confused when Satsuki froze, a deep red blush quickly taking over her face. "Satsuki?…" Satsuki looked off to the side and swallowed hard as she bit her lip.

"It's, um… an engagement ring…" To her surprise Ryuko burst out laughing.

"An engagement ring? Did one of your egomaniacal foreign suitors get it for you hoping you'd suddenly gain an interest in men?" Satsuki looked up, still blushing and biting her lip nervously.

"Um, no… Ryuko…" Ryuko wiped away a tear, still laughing hysterically, as Satsuki came and kneeled down next to her, "It's… It's for you…" Ryuko froze, blinking at Satsuki who was staring down at the ground. It took a full minute before she was finally able to speak, though it came out in a weak whisper.

"What?…" Satsuki immediately interrupted her with a fast-paced ramble.

"I took a look back in the records. Immediately after you were born, Ragyo did her experiments on you and thought you died, so you were never issued a legitimate birth certificate. Your legal birth certificate that you were given after our father escaped with you lists you as "Matoi". Our father also used a fake name for both himself and the mother, so legally, we're not related. The only thing tying you to the Kiryuins was Ragyo's word (and she's gone) and DNA, and the last time I checked they don't pull blood when you get a marriage license-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… Satsuki, what's all this about?…" Ryuko looked Satsuki up and down as she took a deep breath and gently took the small box from her hand, pulled the ring out, and slipped it onto Ryuko's right ring finger. She swallowed hard once more and held on tight to Ryuko's hands.

"Ryuko… Will you please marry me?…" Ryuko just stared at Satsuki for the longest time, unsure how to deal with the wave of emotions flooding through her. She eventually settled on throwing her arms around Satsuki's neck and whispering just loud enough for her to hear.

"Yes…"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hey, sorry for the long wait! Thank you all so much for all your love and support during the making of this project! I never anticipated such a positive reaction to my first fanfic in years. Seriously, thank you! I couldn't have done it without all your words of encouragement. I'm sorry to cut this series short but I really want to work on other projects, both fanfics and original work. Thank you again! Look forward to more Ryuko la Satsuki fics in the future!


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